T-Mobile Support is Awful - and there is basically no Data Roaming.

[McWatt]

Why the hell would anyone expect data roaming on a prepaid plan in the first place?

Maybe because high customer expectations lead to better service and lower prices. It's the nature of a consumer facing market. Low expectations lead to poorer service and higher prices.

 

[wirednuts]

Why the hell would anyone expect data roaming on a prepaid plan in the first place?

i just want talking roaming. i cant even make a phone call unless im on a real tmo tower. sometimes it will way its connected to some weird tower outside the city, but it never works.

 

[Red Storm]

i just want talking roaming. i cant even make a phone call unless im on a real tmo tower. sometimes it will way its connected to some weird tower outside the city, but it never works.

Why not go with a provider that uses AT&T's network?

 

[Eureka]

I'm not. Both Verizon and Sprint use network standards that don't work anywhere else in the world, so that's out. Not to mention Sprint data speeds blow.

AT&T plans are ridiculous.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/mobileshare.html

So.... unlimited talk and text and 6GB of data is $90 + $35 for the single phone that I'll be using on it. So $125 a month. Compared to T-Mobile unlimited voice, text, and un-throttled unlimited data for $70. I'll be sticking with T-Mobile.

I just wish their chat CSRs would actually read what I type and understand their own service offerings.

Why are you looking at shared data plans for a single user? That's a family plan you're looking at.

 

[lothar]

Maybe because high customer expectations lead to better service and lower prices. It's the nature of a consumer facing market. Low expectations lead to poorer service and higher prices.

Not sure what your rambling has to do with my question.

Which prepaid plan do you know of today that has data roaming?
Hell, not even the prepaid plans from AT&T and Verizon have that. Why would anyone expect T-Mobile's prepaid plan to have it?

 

[Red Storm]

Not sure what your rambling has to do with my question.

Which prepaid plan do you know of today that has data roaming?
Hell, not even the prepaid plans from AT&T and Verizon have that. Why would anyone expect T-Mobile's prepaid plan to have it?

Honestly I never knew about the whole data roaming thing until someone mentioned it in another thread a while back. I've never had a prepaid plan though so maybe that's why.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Why are you looking at shared data plans for a single user? That's a family plan you're looking at.

That's the one that AT&T chat support gave me. I told her that I wanted data, minutes, and have one phone. That's it.

 

[Red Storm]

That's the one that AT&T chat support gave me. I told her that I wanted data, minutes, and have one phone. That's it.

Meh, go Net10. $45 a month for unlimited voice, texts, and 1.5GB data on AT&T's network.

 

[lopri]

All the major carriers are scammers. They make it impossible for consumers to pick reasonable plans. "We give you unlimited voice/sms!" and charge a fortune for every byte of data you use, or "We give you unlimited data!" and go about charing you for every minute you talk over the phone. And if you go over the limit (be that voice or data), they will proudly point you to the contract and grab some more out of your wallet.

And then there is throttling. That's a different issue altogether.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

All the major carriers are scammers. They make it impossible for consumers to pick reasonable plans. "We give you unlimited voice/sms!" and charge a fortune for every byte of data you use, or "We give you unlimited data!" and go about charing you for every minute you talk over the phone. And if you go over the limit (be that voice or data), they will proudly point you to the contract and grab some more out of your wallet.

And then there is throttling. That's a different issue altogether.

I got an email from T-Mobile just 10 days ago detailing their new plans. I like them. Simple.

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/individual-plans.aspx

So, as far as plans are concerned:

1. You select the number of lines.

2. Each line has unlimited minutes and text by default. There's no way to limit the number of minutes or texts.

3. You select the data plan. They are essentially "how much 4G data can you use before getting throttled" plans. 500MB, 2GB, or unlimited 4G. They are technically all unlimited data plans, but you don't want to get throttled to 2G speeds. Trust me. Internet is essentially useless for anything but email. Even Google Maps has a hard time at ~4KB/s synchronous down/up.

4. The Unlimited Nationwide Data add-on for an extra $20 is truly unlimited. CSR assured me that there is no hidden throttling. Only 50MB of data roaming, so essentially no roaming. Woe be to you if you're hiking in roaming territory and need to use data for something. Or driving across the nation a lot.

5. No contracts.

I did a speed test yesterday on my Galaxy Nexus and was able to get 1.1 MB/s down. That's pretty damn fast.

So for $70 a month ($50 for one line + $20 unlimited 4G data add-on) you get a no-contract, completely unlimited voice, text, and 4G data plan. Within T-Mobile's coverage areas. The latter is key. While traveling or in roaming areas, it quickly becomes a 50MB data plan. But voice is thus:

We may also limit or terminate your Service in our discretion and without prior notice if you no longer reside in a T-Mobile-owned network coverage area, if more than 50% of your voice and/or data usage is Off-Net for any three billing cycles within any 12 month period, if your Off-Net usage makes it uneconomical for T-Mobile to provide Service to you, or if related to T-Mobile's arrangements with an Off-Net provider.

 

[lothar]

I did a speed test yesterday on my Galaxy Nexus and was able to get 1.1 MB/s down. That's pretty damn fast.

How exactly is that fast?
Maybe if one is coming from Sprint's 3G or 4G WiMax network, that may be fast. But to everyone else, that's still slow.
I got better speeds than that while on Straight talk.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

How exactly is that fast?
Maybe if one is coming from Sprint's 3G or 4G WiMax network, that may be fast. But to everyone else, that's still slow.
I got better speeds than that while on Straight talk.

Streams HD TV just fine. Good enough for me.

 

[wirednuts]

All the major carriers are scammers. They make it impossible for consumers to pick reasonable plans. "We give you unlimited voice/sms!" and charge a fortune for every byte of data you use, or "We give you unlimited data!" and go about charing you for every minute you talk over the phone. And if you go over the limit (be that voice or data), they will proudly point you to the contract and grab some more out of your wallet.

And then there is throttling. That's a different issue altogether.

its true. i swear they meet behind closed doors and say "nobody is going to sell plans that make sense to people."

like tmo's 30$ plan. if you never, ever leave the city it is awesome. its not really a cell phone, its more like a wide area wifi network phone.

 

[lothar]

Streams HD TV just fine. Good enough for me.

Saying 1.1MB/s down "is pretty damn fast" and "it's good enough" are two very different things.
It may be good enough for whatever you use it for, but 1.1MB/s download is nowhere near "pretty damn fast"

 

[jidery]

Saying 1.1MB/s down "is pretty damn fast" and "it's good enough" are two very different things.
It may be good enough for whatever you use it for, but 1.1MB/s download is nowhere near "pretty damn fast"

Like it or not, tmobile is fast.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dgmndcj1xpmycbc/2013-04-13 18.55.30.png

By the way, what are you doing on your phone that would equate 1.1MB/s to be slow? Steaming 4k video?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Saying 1.1MB/s down "is pretty damn fast" and "it's good enough" are two very different things.
It may be good enough for whatever you use it for, but 1.1MB/s download is nowhere near "pretty damn fast"

K.